Blue Jays' Troy Tulowitzki: Heel surgery not deemed necessary

Tulowitzki won't require surgery on his right heel after the Blue Jays shut him down Wednesday when he aggravated a chronic bone spur, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The veteran shortstop experienced discomfort in his heel after doing conditioning work to strengthen the sprained ankle on the same foot, an injury that had resulted in him missing the final two months of last season. Rather than having Tulowitzki go under the knife and embark on another arduous rehab, the Blue Jays will instead act conservatively with the 33-year-old's workload throughout the spring with the goal of getting him back to full health for Opening Day. In recognition of Tulowitzki's poor durability and the likelihood that he'll miss time due to injury at some point this season, the Blue Jays acquired Aledmys Diaz from the Cardinals and Yangervis Solarte from the Padres over the winter to provide insurance up the middle.